Monday, March 29, 2010

A few nights ago my to-do list was not ridiculously long so I took some time to play w/ parsnips. Tomorrow night I plan on playing w/ carrots. Am I just trying to relive my childhood, looking for sand boxes & rubber ducks? No! I simply love playing with food! Experiment, step outside the box, get wild & crazy, hop off the fence, take off the blinders! Now that I’ve proven myself to be quite metaphor-friendly, let’s get down to business.If you are serious about food, about embracing all of it’s gorgeous potential, you must get serious about playing with it. Picture it… you purchase some parsnips (aka ~your seasonal veggie of choice), enter your kitchen, light a candle or two, and put on some funky music. ( for these play-a-thons I love retro disco. Gloria Gaynor or KC & The Sunshine Band –that’s the way, uh huh uh huh, I like it!) Now, take a deep breath,and attack those veg with vim & vigor. Blanche, braise, dehydrate, roast, saute, puree, sous-vide, poach, smell, taste, adjust seasonings, put a dab on your nose–even behind your ears! Boogie to the music and proclaim, loudly, your love for sexy local food.Having fun? Next, lets tackle meat. Enough tenderloins! Go to your favourite sustainable butcher and get some oft-forgotten cuts…pork shoulder, lamb shanks, beef cheeks, to name a few. If you give these meats your TLC and lots of time you will be rewarded with flavours you’ve never experienced.When you have REAL food in your kitchen and the right attitude, there are no limits to what you can do. Put in the time and the fun factor and you will be amazed with the results. Today’s lesson is to explore seasonal foods with a passion, put the verve back in your kitchen, get flour in your hair, dance to Aretha while waiting for dough to rise, explore celeriac and, dammit, have fun! Real food rocks!Tastefully yours, Luke

WELCOME TO A SITE WRITTEN BY, WRITTEN FOR, GASTRONOMES!

This blog site is dedicated to food, glorious food! Iam, by way of introduction, Luke--19 year old Chef of Luke's Gastronomy!I want to share my thoughts with people who adore food as much as I do--my dreams, creations, ideas, the day-to-day trials & tribulations of running a restaurant where, quite literally, everything is made from scratch. I've been accused of lunacy for my obsessiveness--I call it passion!Please make this blog your own--share our laughter, tears, and, yes, lunacy.